


Trials and Decisions

by AbschaumNo1



Series: Hermitcraft Fantasy AU [7]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Found Family, M/M, Magic, Multi, Possession, Queerplatonic Relationships, Royalty, Soulmates, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28740933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbschaumNo1/pseuds/AbschaumNo1
Summary: A plot is still brewing and decisions for the future have to be made. But some trials hail from the past instead.
Relationships: Docm77/Etho/VintageBeef/BdoubleO100, Evil Xisuma/Original Male Character, Natalie Arnold/FalseSymmetry, Welsknight/Zedaph, hypnotizd/xBCrafted, impulseSV/Tango Tek (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: Hermitcraft Fantasy AU [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1635238
Comments: 16
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Helloooo and welcome back!  
> If you're new to this AU I highly suggest reading earlier installments first, because this is a direct sequel to the last multichapter fic in this verse, Choices and Paths. You will need to know what happened in that for this to make sense. 
> 
> If you're not new, I hope you enjoy this. Updates will come when they come, I have another multichapter to maintain and a couple oneshot WIPs that I'm still working on. So please be a bit patient with me. 
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy this <3

The wind was icy this far north, and not for the first time Ex wondered how anyone could live here, surrounded by ice and snow and not much else. Night had fallen a while ago, but Etho had promised that it wasn't far and that they would reach their destination soon, so they had pressed on.  
He looked towards the front of the group, where Etho rode, the hood of his winter coat down, despite the snow storm they were in. Ex could just about make out the white pelt lining it, a fuzzy strip of it along the edge of the hood that almost disappeared against Etho's white hair. He trusted Etho to be able to navigate this terrain, after all he had grown up here and had lived here when he hadn't been with Stress and her mother at court. But Ex was still restless.  
Ever since they had gotten the admittedly vague news of the attack on Xisuma he had gotten even more impatient to get home. He needed to make sure that his brother was well; that he wasn't hurt, and he needed to know what was actually going on and whether Wels would be okay or not. His first instinct had been to just disappear along the road and find Xisuma, to leave the others behind and teleport until he was with him. He knew they wouldn't have stopped him. All of them knew how much he cared for his brother, and none of them would hold it against him if he abandoned them when he was in danger. But Ex's rational side had won out and he had stayed with them, even when Etho had suggested going north to his estate and take the Nether tunnel he had built back to the Hermitage. It was better to stick together and be cautious than to appear in the middle of the capital when no one but the guards at the border post knew they were back yet. And this way they avoided all of their usual travel routes back home. After all no one knew Etho was back again.  
He could see Etho straighten a little in his saddle, and he called back over his shoulder towards them, though his words were lost in the wind before they could reach Ex. But it didn't take much guessing to figure out what he had been trying to say, because a dark shadow appeared in the falling snow, looming over them.  
And so they reached Etho's Fortress of Solitude.


	2. Chapter 2

_Ten Days Prior:_

By the time Elias and Gertha arrived with Lord Wels in tow Xisuma had caught his breath again and was standing up. The warden had quietly handed him a cup of water before he had hurried off to close and lock the cell door behind Wels' father.  
"Are you alright?" Elias asked, worry clear in his eyes.  
"A bit shaken, but otherwise I'm fine." Xisuma took a deep breath. "He only got me in the end."  
He gestured for them to follow him outside where neither the thing that had been Wels, nor Lord Wels could overhear them.  
"Gertha, I need you to go to the Hermitage for me," he said. "Get Cub. Tell him what happened and bring him here. You-"  
He was interrupted by a woman clearing her throat.   
He looked towards the entrance to the dungeons where Wels' mother stood, and he was about to ask her what she was doing here when Gertha said, "It's fine. She was the one who warned us."  
Xisuma inclined his head. "I have to thank you then, Lady Brunhilde. I will do what I can to help your son."  
"Just Brunhilde is fine," she said with a warm smile. "My son considers you family. That is good enough for me. But I have a request to make."  
"Say what it is and I will consider it."  
"Bring Zedaph here as well. He….he might be able to help you bring him back."  
Xisuma considered her for a moment before he nodded.  
"You heard Brunhilde," he said, turning to Gertha again. "Bring Zedaph as well." He pulled a token from his pocket, a silver disk that fit easily into his palm with small stones set into it that were so dark they almost seemed black, but glittered purple and cyan in the light and a larger bright red stone in the middle. "Take this to prove I sent you. Take the nether portal, there's signs, and when you leave the nether on the other side you will just have to walk up the stairs. If you don't meet anyone turn left on the path, Cub and Scar live in the first house set into the side of the mountain, next to the mineshaft. Tell them what happened and bring them here as fast as you can."  
Gertha nodded and took the token from him. "I'll be quick."  
"The Nether will be hot and stifling, but the tunnel is safe. You shouldn't run into any problems."  
Gertha nodded again, and quickly slid the token into her pocket as she turned and left.  
"So what will we do in the meantime?" Elias asked.  
"I think Brunhilde should tell us what she knows first of all."  
Brunhilde inclined her head and Xisuma motioned for them all to sit down at the table usually used by the guard. Maybe they could shed some light on what had happened while they waited.

Gertha had never been to the Nether before. She knew the portal, had stood guard there when she hadn't made Lieutenant yet, but like the rest of the guard safe Wels and False she had never set foot through it.  
Her first taste of it was... intense. The heat hit her like a brick wall almost, the smell of sulphur heavy in the air, and it took her a moment to be able to breathe again. She looked around and realised that she was in a large domed room, strong beams of cyan wood converging above her, with glass filling in the spaces in between. Outside she caught her first glimpse of the actual nether, lava flowing from the ceiling down into what looked like an entire ocean of it. She could see glimpses of strange forests in the distance, barely visible in the fog.  
With a deep breath that made her cough she focused again and looked around for the tunnel Xisuma had mentioned. There were two doors set into opposite sides of the room, but only one of them had a sign next to it that said "Hermitage". She stepped through into a long glass tunnel that went straight into a wall of red stone ahead, and started walking.

She estimated that about an hour had passed when she reached the end of the tunnel and stepped through the portal she found there.  
She came out into a cavern of some sorts. There was grey stone all around her, and when she looked up she could see that the ceiling was far above her, illuminated by a last glimpse of sunlight. There was a staircase, twisting and turning around the edge of the room that Gertha climbed up now, ever closer towards the light.  
By the time she stepped out into the open the sun was just a glow on the horizon. She hadn't quite known what to expect, but the path she stepped onto was well lit with small lights along it. To her left she saw the entrance to a mine, light and the distant sounds of a forge spilling out from it. And there a bit further along was the house Xisuma had said she should go to. She took a deep breath and was about to take the first step when someone called out to her.  
When she turned towards the voice she saw three men walk towards her.  
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the tallest of them asked when they had come closer.  
"I'm Gertha of the Queen's Guard. Master Xisuma sends me to talk to Master Cub and Master Zedaph," she said, straightening her back a little.  
The three men exchanged looks, before one of the shorter ones said, "I'll go get Zedaph. You bring her to Cub."  
The other two nodded, and the first one quickly ran down along the path ahead of them while the others guided Gertha towards the house in the mountainside.

Zed was about to go to bed when someone knocked on the door. He frowned and gently pet Skizz' raised head in passing before he opened it.  
Outside stood Grian; he looked like he had run and he was still trying to catch his breath.  
"What's wrong?" Zed asked, frowning.  
"Gertha is here. She says Xisuma sent her to talk to you and Cub," Grian said. "Mumbo and Iskall are bringing her to Cub's and Scar's."  
"I'll be right there."  
Zed could feel his heart sink a little. He hoped it was nothing, that Xisuma just needed his opinion on something and Wels hadn't had time to come. He could hear the wolves stir behind him as he put his boots on, and he threw them a quick look.  
"I'll be back soon," he told them. "It's probably nothing."  
But Skizz only gave him an unimpressed look as he got up and joined him, and Zed accepted his fate with a fond shake of his head.  
He and Grian quickly walked over to Cub's and Scar's place, passing Impulse's dark workshop. Zed gave Skizz a scratch behind his ears as they walked past it, a silent reassurance that Impulse would be home eventually.  
Scar was already waiting for them, though Jellie was nowhere to be seen for once, and they followed him up to Cub's office.  
Gertha was in a chair in front of the desk, while Cub sat in his own chair, Jellie in his lap, and Mumbo and Iskall stood by the window. Cub gestured for Zed to sit down and Gertha side-eyed Skizz for a moment but she relaxed when he just lay down on Zed's feet.  
"What's going on?" Zed asked, trying to gouge the mood of the room.  
"We were waiting for you to arrive," Cub said. "Now if you will, Lieutenant?"  
Gertha nodded. "There was a feast at court today. The captain and I were having an eye on it when Lady Brunhilde came to us to tell us that Lord Wels was trying to poison Regent Xisuma. The… the captain reached him in time to stop him from drinking from the goblet Lord Wels had handed him, but… he drank it himself and had the regent escort him to the dungeons. I don't know much more than that, but Captain Wels is in a cell in the dungeons right now, and Master Xisuma sent me here to get you Master Cub and upon request of Lady Brunhilde Master Zedaph as well."  
Zed's blood ran cold at her words. He had hoped it would be nothing but this was beyond anything he had feared.  
"Is Wels alive?" he asked, fists clenching into the fabric of his trousers.  
"As far as I am aware, he is."  
Zed released the breath he had been holding, and whispered, "Oh thank the stars."  
He could feel Skizz shift and press closer to his legs, and he was thankful for the contact.  
"We should leave immediately," Cub said. "The sooner we're there to find out more the better."  
Zed nodded, and he and Cub both got up, Gertha following their cue.  
"Scar, can you make sure everyone knows?" Cub asked as he handed a displeased Jellie over.  
"I'll get everyone who's still awake. Just update me when you know more." Scar looked over at Zed. "I'll find someone to take care of things for you," he promised.  
"Thanks Scar." Zed smiled at him and he came over to give him a quick hug.  
"You won't lose him," Scar said quietly, and Zed nodded and hugged him a little tighter. He could only hope he was right.  
Cub had come around the desk and squeezed his shoulder as well.  
"Let's go then," he said, and with a nod Zed followed him, Skizz right at his heels, Gertha behind them.

Gertha took over the lead as soon as they stepped through the portal into the castle. She led them through a series of hallways until they reached the stairs down into the dungeon. She greeted the guard at the top with a nod as she passed and then they descended a long winding staircase.  
It was cold down here, and Zed could practically feel the stone weighing down above them. The only sounds in the hallway were from their steps and the soft clicks of Skizz's claws on the stone.  
Finally they reached a room that was warm and almost cosy, with a large table with benches beside it, and a smaller desk.  
There was no one to be seen but Gertha pushed another door open and led them into the dungeon proper.  
Zed had to suppress a shiver at the atmosphere. The cells were in two rows either side of the middle hallway, only separated from it by iron bars. Xisuma stood in the middle of the hallway, easy to spot next to Elias and Brunhilde, and the three of them turned towards them when they heard the door.  
"It's good to see you," Xisuma said. "Thanks for coming."  
Zed could spot a bruise at his neck, a purplish handprint against his pale skin, and he was glad Ex wasn't here to see it or there would have been hell to pay.  
"Gertha couldn't tell us much," Cub said, "So what actually happened?"  
"Wels drank something that was intended for me. It threw him into some sort of berserker's rage. I lured him down here and into the cell. He only caught me in the end."  
"I can tell." Cub raised an eyebrow. "I'll have a look at that later."  
Zed looked at Brunhilde.  
"Is this what I think it is?" he asked, and she nodded.  
"Yes."  
"I should have known you would betray our family," Lord Wels shouted from his cell. "You just waited fo-"  
Whatever else he had to say was cut off mid sentence, only the distant laughter of the vex hanging in the air as Cub conjured a barrier between them.  
“Thanks,” Xisuma said. “He's been going at it for a while now, it was getting annoying."  
"You're welcome." Cub turned to Zed, looking between him and Brunhilde. "You both know what this is?"  
"We talked about it before," Brunhilde said. "I thought he should know."  
"I assume you also talked about how to deal with it should the need arise," Xisuma said.  
Zed and Brunhilde nodded.  
"We're not completely sure it will work," Brunhilde said. "But we both agreed it would be worth to try should worst come to worst."  
"What exactly are you planning?" Cub eyed all three of them now, and he looked like he wasn't sure if he would like what they had in mind."  
"I'm going to try and be his anchor," Zed said.  
Cub hummed thoughtfully.  
"It might work. I don't know what exactly we're dealing with but if he's still in there giving him an anchor could work."  
"I know it has worked in the past," Brunhilde said.  
There was laughter from the cell Wels was in that made a shiver run down Zed's spine. It sounded eerie, distorted, not at all like the man he loved.  
"You really think it will be that easy?" the thing that wasn't Wels said.  
Zed took a deep breath before he stepped past Xisuma, who had blocked his view until now and met calculating red eyes.  
It laughed.  
"You really think you can beat me?"  
Zed just smiled.  
"Can you open the cell for me please?" he asked the warden.  
He shot Elias a questioning look, but the chancellor nodded and he quickly unlocked the door and let Zed step inside before he closed it behind him again.  
Not-Wels didn't attack him immediately, and for a moment they stalked around each other.  
"You have courage for such a small thing. Maybe I'll keep you."  
Zed smiled. "I'd like to see you try."  
"You really think you can get to him and save him?"  
"I don't think he needs saving. He does that pretty well himself."  
"So you're not even going to try? What kind of anchor are you supposed to be then."  
Zed smiled. "The kind that reminds him that he is loved. That his family is right here and that we all believe in him. That I believe in him. I don't need to try to do anything because I love him and he loves me."  
"What a nice naive sentiment." The thing grinned and advanced on Zed, smiling dangerously. "It's a pity he won't be able to see you fail."  
But Zed only smiled back, and before the thing could reach him, he made a small gesture with his hand and the length of wood he had Cub conceal for him appeared in it. It was a little shorter than a short walking stick, with a knot of polished wood on one end.  
He let the thin end of it slide down into his palm and swung it one smooth motion.  
The knot connected hard with the thing's head, and it stopped in its tracks, falling down onto its knees.  
It blinked several times before blue eyes looked up and met Zed's.  
Zed stepped in with a soft smile and cupped Wels' cheek.  
Wels took a deep breath. "I don't have long. He's….he's strong."  
"I know. Hang in there." Zed knelt down. "We'll work on it."  
"I know. I love you."  
"I love you, too."  
Zed leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss.  
"Be strong."  
"Always."  
Wels closed his eyes with a sigh and sagged into Zed's waiting arms.  
Zed picked him up and laid him down on the thin straw mattress by the wall, before he got up and with the stick in his hand left the cell.

Xisuma had to hide a smirk when he looked at Elias and Gertha. People tended to underestimate Zed, and while Xisuma and the Hermits knew just what he was capable of if he wanted to, it came as a surprise for most others. Brunhilde didn't look surprised either. No, she looked a little proud instead, and Xisuma couldn't help but wonder how someone like her ended up with someone like Lord Wels.  
"That worked better than I was expecting," Zed said as he slipped his stick into his belt.   
"At least we know he's still in there," Cub said. "But how will we help him."  
"That I cannot answer yet." Brunhilde gave them an apologetic smile. "But I think the library at the family town house has a few books on the topic. I'll have to do some reading."  
"I'll bring you home," Zed said. "I'll sleep easier knowing you got there safely."  
"You are welcome to stay the night. All of you are."  
Xisuma was about to say that they were good, when Gertha spoke up.  
"That might be a good idea. We don't know who else is involved. The town house is safe and no one will expect you to be there."  
Elias nodded. "Lieutenant Gertha and I can take care of everything that needs to be done here. You should all get some rest."  
"Scar will send someone with fresh clothes in the morning," Cub said. "If you could send them to the town house, we would be very grateful."  
"I'll make sure to let the guard in charge at the portal know," Gertha said with a nod. "Now if you'll follow me I will lead you out where no curious eyes can see that you left."  
"We'll be right behind you," Xisuma said, and when Gertha turned and led them out of the dungeons they followed her.

The last thing Wels saw before everything went dark again was Zed’s soft smile and the love in his purple eyes. He could feel it warm him, and he held it close, so he could not lose or forget it.  
His feet hit the ground, and though he knew that it was an illusion his breath caught when he opened his eyes.  
Around him the land was burning. The ground beneath his feet was dark with soot, whatever vegetation there had been had long turned to ash. The heat from the flames felt like it would burn the hair off his skin.  
He was alone, but he was sure he would find Him in this place. Whatever this hell scape meant to Him, He would be out there somewhere.  
Wels closed his eyes and reminded himself of Zed’s face, the purple of his eyes, the way they glinted with mischief from beneath his blond hair when he had another of his fun ideas; the curve of his lips when he smiled, and how soft they felt against his own as they opened when they kissed.  
Wels had to smile, and he reopened his eyes with new determination. He’d get back to Zed. Whatever it would take. He had no idea where to start looking but he wagered it didn’t matter much and so he just started walking. He knew Zed was waiting. That was enough.


	3. Chapter 3

_The present:_

The walls in front of them were made from solid ice, with no obvious gate visible, but Etho rode straight towards it and they had no choice but to follow.  
They followed suit when he reached the wall and got off his horse. He held the reigns in one hand and pulled off the glove on the other before he pressed his bare palm to the ice wall.  
A passage opened for them to step through. Ex took a look around while Etho closed it behind them again. He had always been curious about what this place looked like. Etho had never come forward with details, and the only Hermits who had ever been here apart from him were Beef, Bdubs, Doc and Stress. Ex had never been sure if the name was one of Etho's tall tales or if it was an actual fortress, but a look around didn't clear up much.  
They were in a courtyard, the walls of ice rising into the skies around them, and in front of them loomed something that could either be a large mansion or a small palace. The size of it was hidden in darkness, but the front did look impressive enough. To the side of the yard were some stables that Etho led them towards now.  
"There won't be much in the way of straw and hay," he said as he pushed open the doors. "But it will serve its purpose until the morning."  
They all led their horses inside, and took off their saddles and bridles and wiped them down. Ex could see Tango look around until he found a space in the corner, where there was very little risk of anything catching on fire before he piled up some of their fire wood and lit a small fire.  
"That should keep them a bit warmer for a while," he said. "It's not much but it'll have to do."  
"Good thinking," Etho said.  
Tango grinned. "I do have decent ideas sometimes."  
Etho snorted, and then they all grabbed their things and followed him to the main house.  
The front doors opened into a large entrance hall, with stairs leading up to the upper floors of the building and a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was some furniture along the walls, covered by white sheets to protect them from dust, and what Ex assumed were large paintings that had gotten the same treatment. Etho ignored the stairs and led them to a door off to the side, behind which they found a large sitting room.  
"I think it's easiest to stay in here," he said. "I don't think we'll manage to heat up enough rooms for everyone and it's just one night."  
"Just like old times," Beef said. "A good old sleepover in the sitting room."  
They shared a smile, and it struck Ex how easy it was to forget that they had known each other before they ever became Hermits. But here, in a space where they had spent countless hours when they had been younger, it really stood out. Beef moved around the place like someone who was familiar with it, uncovering furniture, while Etho checked if the chimney was free enough to open. They all spread around the room, setting up places to sleep, while Tango went and helped Etho light a fire in the fireplace to warm the room.  
Dick helped Impulse gather ingredients for dinner, and soon enough they were all sitting in front of the fire. It wasn't much more than slightly stale bread and some of the salted meat they had picked up from the guards at the border, who had been happy to share, and none of them quite felt like talking. Ex himself could only remind himself that they would reach their home tomorrow. From here it was just a day’s worth of travel through the Nether, and they would finally find out what had happened to his brother and Wels.  
They all settled in to sleep after dinner. It had been a long day and the earlier they went to sleep the earlier they could all get up again.

False woke when Stress got up from where she was lying next to her. It was still dark outside, and it took False a moment spot Stress in the light of the dying fire.  
She was picking her way through the sleeping Hermits, cautious not to wake anyone, and when she reached the doors to the entrance hall she quickly slipped through.  
False frowned, before she got up as well, taking her cloak with her and pulling it tightly around her shoulders as she followed Stress.  
It was a bit harder to see out in the dark entrance hall, but the door across from the one to the sitting room they were sleeping in stood slightly ajar, and it was as good a guess as any, so False walked over to it, and peeked through before she entered.  
Behind it was a large dining room, with something that looked like a long table in the middle of it and yet another chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It must have been the official dining room when Etho and his family had still lived here, False guessed, and she could see another set of doors leading out of it on the other side.  
These doors were also opened, and when False stepped through she was greeted by a ball room with large windows on both sides of it. On one side of the room she could just about see the glittering ice wall, but on the other side the room looked out into a lush, green garden. It made False pause for a moment, because there was not a speck of snow to be seen, even though the surroundings of the estate, and the courtyard in front were covered in it. But her attention was quickly drawn to something, or rather someone, else.  
Stress was standing in the middle of the room, illuminated by moonlight that made her seem even more of a being of ice than usual, and she was looking up at a painting on the wall, the white sheet that had covered it still in her hand. She turned her head when she heard False’s steps on the wooden floor, and even though she smiled when she saw that it was her, there was something melancholic in her eyes.  
False stopped next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before she leaned in and kissed her temple.  
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Stress said softly.  
“Don’t worry about it.” False kept her voice as low as Stress did. Something about the atmosphere in the entire building made it feel like it was not to be disturbed. “What are you looking at?”  
Stress nodded towards the painting on the wall, and False looked up. It wasn’t easy to make out the details in the darkness, but she could make out four people. She could just about spot the crown on the head of the woman on the right, marking her as the queen, her hands resting on the shoulders of a much younger Stress. Next to them was another woman, her resemblance to Stress and her mother almost striking, the way she was standing next to them marking her as almost equal, one of her hands resting on the shoulder of young Etho.  
“I remember sitting for this painting,” Stress said quietly. “It was the winter before she ‘n my uncle died. They had planned to have a big ball here to unveil it. Mother and I had already been invited.” She had to chuckle. “Etho was so bored while it was made, and even back then he didn’t like being painted at all. We all joked the painter would have to paint him sulking.” She was silent for a moment before she said more seriously, “I just wonder sometimes, you know? What my mother would say about all of it. If she would be proud.”  
Stress sighed, but before False could say anything to reassure her, another voice spoke up.  
“She would.”  
They both looked towards the doors that Etho was just stepping away from. He came over to stand with them and looked up at the painting. “He really brought out my eyes, didn’t he?” he said with a chuckle, before he turned his head to look at Stress. “Your mother would be proud of what you’ve done and what you’ve helped build. She always hoped you would find a way to be happy even with your position, and you’ve definitely managed that. She would be glad you found people to call your family.” He looked back up at the painting and sighed. “I remember the last time I talked to her. It wasn’t too long before her death, and I was about to leave court to come here again. She summoned me to her rooms, and she told me to look out for you and be the family you needed. I didn’t know at the time that those would be her last words to me.”  
“She loved you, too, you know,” Stress said. “She always told me to remember that you were family, and that even when you acted like you didn’t need me, I shouldn’t forget.”  
Etho smiled. “She always cared.”  
“She did,” Stress agreed.  
They were both silent as they looked at the painting again, and took it in for a moment, a memory from a time long gone that False couldn’t quite imagine if she was honest.  
Finally Etho bent down and picked up the sheet Stress had dropped to the floor.  
“Let’s cover this up again and go back to the others before they start looking for us. I’m fairly sure I saw Ex failing to fall back asleep again already.”  
He easily climbed onto the small ledge below the painting, and False was glad that she had long learned not to question how Etho did things, because it usually seemed a little mad and impossible. They watched as he hung the sheet over the painting again and jumped back down to the floor, before he led the way back through the dining room and the entrance hall to where the others were slowly starting to get up.

The mood was different at breakfast this morning. Something tense hung in the air, Dick thought, almost as if everyone was apprehensive of reaching the Hermitage. It made sense, he guessed. He didn’t know Xisuma and Wels outside of what stories he had heard, but the Hermits were close and he had been able to tell that they were worried ever since they had gotten the news that something had happened to them.  
And his uncle, Beef and Etho would return to the Hermitage for the first time in years as well, which he was sure was on their minds.  
They all finished their breakfast quickly, and after gathering all of their supplies they doused the fire, and made sure to cover the furniture they had uncovered to use again, before the doors of the house fell shut behind them with a final thud.  
They saddled and bridled the horses but only took them by the reigns as they followed Etho across the courtyard to another set of buildings that turned out to hide a nether portal.  
“It’s gonna get a little tight on the other side with all the horses,” Etho said. “But it will have to work.”  
Dick understood what he meant after he had stepped through the portal. The room on the other side was large, but it clearly wasn’t built for so many people and horses at once.  
Most of the room was encased by glass, and Dick had to swallow when he realised that even the floor was partly made from glass and that it was the only thing stopping them from falling deep down into a lake of lava.  
“Well this seems safe,” xB murmured next to him, and as much as Dick trusted the Hermits after their travels together, he had to agree with him on that.  
Beef and Etho pulled some sort of vehicle from a storage area and set it onto the ice track that ran from the middle of the room into a tunnel that disappeared somewhere in the distance.  
It would be a tight fit, Dick could tell, and he had no idea how they would move it. Most of the others eyed it a little dubiously, and if he was honest he was glad he wasn't the only one who had questions about the contraption.  
They got their packs stowed away first, fitting them underneath the benches that ran along the sides, while Impulse and Dick's uncle gathered the horses, and Impulse calmed them down enough that they allowed them to lead them onto the thing before they all spread out and sat down on the benches, Stress and Etho at the very end.  
Dick found himself opposite Beef somewhere in the middle. Beef looked unconcerned, comfortable almost, and he shot Dick a smile.  
"It's perfectly safe," he said. "Etho knows what he's doing. Just hold on tight and you'll be fine."  
Dick nodded and held on to the bench below him, just as they started moving.  
It was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Once they had picked up speed, they were gliding smoothly along the ice, much faster than they could have done on foot or even riding the horses. The tunnel flew by, and Dick was only able to catch glimpses of intricate wall designs and Nether landscapes behind glass.  
He had no idea how long they had been moving when they started slowing down, but he was sure several hours must have passed by the time they emerged from a long stretch of tunnel that had been dug through the red rock of the Nether into a closed off glass tunnel that stretched across a wide lava lake. They approached a structure that hung from the ceiling from thick chains, almost like a bird cage, if bird cages were as large as buildings. Dick couldn't help but wonder how the Hermits had managed to build all of it.  
They stopped smoothly in another large room below the bird-cage-like structure and it took Dick a few moments to get used to the lack of motion again, before he could follow the others off the vehicle and back onto solid ground again.  
"We'll leave it here for now," Etho said. "We can always come back to put it away later."  
He took the lead again, as they took the horses up a staircase that curved along the outside of the structure, and finally stepped through a large door into the main room of it.  
In the middle of it stood a large nether portal but nothing else. Dick could spot Ex throwing a longing look at it, before Ramal reached out and squeezed his shoulder and be took a deep breath and walked past with the rest of them towards another door.  
"This portal leads directly into the castle," False explained quietly to him when they walked past the obsidian frame. "But it's only an hour's walk from here to the Hermitage."  
They entered another tunnel, and Dick could feel the way most of the group relaxed a little; the anticipation in a lot of them, and when he caught his uncle's eyes he got a happy smile from him. The Hermits were almost home.

After everything he had seen on the last leg of their journey, Dick was surprised at how plain the portal rooms of the Hermitage looked. They were clearly built for functionality rather than beauty, even though that didn't mean they were ugly. The form just fit the function.   
They walked up the staircase that circled along the walls, barely built wide enough for the horses, and then they stepped out into the open.  
Dick was a little overwhelmed for a moment. It was almost late afternoon already, and before them stretched out a valley, filled with buildings. Down at the centre lay what was either a large pond or a small lake.  
There were voices calling out to them, and a moment later they were joined by more people. He could see Doc among them, looking like he had seen a ghost before Etho, Beef and Dick's uncle all converged on him and pulled him into a tight hug. Dick didn’t think he imagined the tears in all of their eyes. He saw Impulse and Tango, surrounded by the wolf pack, both of them smiling; and Ex breathing a sigh of relief before he hugged a man with a cat twirling around his feet tightly.  
There were hugs and happy welcomes, and for a moment Dick couldn’t help but feel lost among them.  
“They are a family,” Keralis said, stepping up to him. He shot Dick a smile. “Just give them a moment.”  
Dick nodded but before either of them could say more, a woman with fiery red hair walked over to them, looking at Keralis out of narrowed eyes. Dick was momentarily distracted by the hole in her side where he could see her ribcage, but before he could process that she was somehow walking around with an injury like that, she had swung her hand and slapped Keralis.  
“It’s good to see you, Cleo,” Keralis said with a wide smile even as he rubbed his cheek.  
“Took you long enough to show your face around here again,” she said.  
“Did you miss my beautiful face?”  
She scoffed. “I’ve missed giving you the slap you deserved.”  
“If I had known I would have come back.”  
“Would you now?” She raised an eyebrow.  
But before their conversation could go on, a man slightly shorter than Cleo interjected to address Dick.  
“You must be Bdubs’ nephew. Welcome to the Hermitage. I promise we ain’t always this violent.”  
“I… thank…you?” Dick wasn’t entirely sure what to reply, but the man didn’t seem to mind.  
“We’ve been waiting for all of you, though it is a surprise to see Keralis here.”  
“What can I say? They turned up on my doorstep one evening, and then my shoppy got burned down,” Keralis said easily. “And here I am.”  
“I guess that explains the visions of fire you had, Joe,” Cleo said.  
Joe hummed. “It might. Or maybe it was just a reminder to check the hearth before goin’ to bed. But I think Scar is about to say something.”  
They all turned towards the man Dick had seen Ex hug earlier, who was indeed just calling out, “Hey, everyone!”  
The conversations around them died almost immediately as everyone focused on him.  
“Much as I don’t want to stop anyone from celebrating right now, we should probably let everyone go home and wash up and unpack first. We’ll have to find room for everyone, and I’ll have to pass on the news to Cub and the others.”  
“So about the room part, Scar,” Joe said. “Grian and I may have spent the past few days cleaning some stuff.”  
“You what?” Scar asked.  
“Well I had a feelin’ you know? So I asked Grian to help me out and we cleaned Bdubs’ house, and Beef’s house, and Etho’s house, and since we were already at it, we also cleaned Doc’s house. So technically, if those folks take back their old places, then Keralis can take back his old place, and I do believe that Bdubs and Keralis respectively can house our three guests.”  
Scar blinked, before he said, “Well I guess if everyone’s okay with that… We’ll just need someone to help Doc move his things.”  
“Grian and I would be more than happy to help,” Joe said, turning towards Doc, who looked like he was still processing the entire conversation.  
But then he nodded and smirked when he said, “As long as Grian doesn’t mess with anything again.”  
There was laughter around the group, and Scar clapped his hands excitedly.  
“Then I suggest Jevin and Ren take care of the horses, while everyone goes to sort themselves out, and Jellie and I contact Cub, and then we all meet up for dinner later.”  
There was agreement from around the group, and a moment later a blue slime man took the reigns of his horse from Dick, just before his uncle wrapped an arm around his shoulders, a wide grin on his face.  
“Now come on and let uncle Bdubs show you where he actually lives,” he said, and Dick had to laugh at the slightly exaggerated act he put on even as his uncle led him towards a cluster of four houses.

Stress leaned into False’s side with a content smile as she watched the rest of their family. They had already finished dinner, but as glad as they all would be to get some rest in their proper home, they were also happy to see their family again and catch up with them.  
She could see Impulse and Tango chat with Grian, Mumbo and Iskall in a corner, surrounded by Impulse’s wolves, Clifford and Cinnabin, none of which were willing to leave his and Tango’s side.  
Jevin was already bickering with Hypno, while xB watched them with a barely concealed smile on his face. Things were good, and Stress was happy watching them all.  
It was a much needed reprieve from everything that had happened, before they needed to get back to work tomorrow. Scar had already told them that Xisuma, Cub and Zed were coming back home tomorrow so they could have a big meeting and figure out what to do next.  
But until then they got to relax and enjoy their time together, and they got to celebrate the return of Etho, Beef, Bdubs and Keralis.  
She and False were talking to Ren and Scar when Jellie hissed, and Scar’s head whipped around as he looked in the rough direction of the main gate of the castle.  
“Someone’s coming,” he said with a frown. “And they’re armed.”  
“Normal travellers or potential attackers?” False asked, her body tense already.  
“I’m not sure. But there is something…” Scar shook his head. “We better check it out.”  
Stress exchanged a look with False before they followed Scar towards the door, while Ren spread word behind them, making the rest of the Hermits follow as well.  
They were all waiting in the courtyard when the travellers reached the gate. It hadn’t been closed for the night yet, so they could ride into the courtyard without anyone stopping them.  
They stopped when they saw the waiting Hermits, and while no one had a weapon out, Stress at least knew that they must have looked fairly threatening through the size of their group alone.  
“Well this is definitely one large welcoming committee.” A cheerful male voice said, before both of the travellers pulled back the hoods of their cloaks.  
“We were told to come here for mutual aid,” the woman said. "A friend received a token from one of you."  
She pulled something from a pouch at her side and Stress didn't need to see it to know what it was.  
But before she could say anything Grian stepped forward and said, "Pearl? Is that you?"  
The woman, Pearl, looked surprised but then she smiled widely.  
"Grian! It's good to see you!"  
She got off her horse, and hugged Grian tightly.  
The man who was with her grinned as he got off his own horse.  
Stress stepped forward and touched Scar's elbow.  
"We met an associate of theirs on the way here," she said. "I told them to come because they are facing a similar situation as we are."  
Scar nodded before he addressed the newcomers.  
"Welcome to the Hermitage. I'm sure you'll want some rest and something to eat."  
"Oh I could definitely eat. Mythical Sausage is the name. Though Sausage is fine. This is Pearl." His grin turned a little mischievous. "Now who's Dipple Dop? Skizz told me to give something to him."  
Stress could hear Impulse groan even as he stepped forward. "That would be me, I guess."  
Sausage went over to him and placed a kiss on his cheek.  
"There you are."  
Tango laughed even as Impulse sighed heavily.  
"Yeah that sounds like Skizz," Impulse said.  
"I like the guy," Tango said, still laughing, as he wrapped an arm around Impulse’s shoulders.  
Stress shook her head fondly, before she said, "Let's get everyone inside. I think we'll need those guest rooms after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me on [tumblr.](https://abschaumno1.tumblr.com)


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